Police charge teen with writing note threatening a shooting at Manatee High
A Manatee High School freshman has been arrested and charged in connection to a threat of a shooting at the school, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
Police also said someone wrote a second note threatening violence at Manatee High School. The second note was found Tuesday.
The note, found Tuesday, is more generic, according to Lt. Brian Thiers, but police are taking it seriously and intend to find its author. The note says that a shooting will occur at 10:05 a.m. Wednesday.
Last Thursday, a student found in a school bathroom a note threatening that a shooting would occur this coming Thursday on the Manatee High School campus, 902 33rd St. Court W.
Darien Olliff, 14, was arrested Tuesday and charged with a second-degree felony charge of making a false report concerning planting a bomb, an explosive, or a weapon of mass destruction, or concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner.
“We were watching surveillance video just outside the bathroom near where the note was found and were able to determine a bunch of students that were in that area,” Thiers said on Tuesday afternoon.
Detectives interviewed the students identified in the video, and ultimately identified Olliff as the author of the note, according to Thiers. The teen confessed to writing the note and expressed great remorse, but a motive has not yet been determined, Thiers said.
The Manatee County School District had already been notified of the teen’s arrest Tuesday afternoon, Thiers said.
Hoax or copycat threats such as this have been popping up all over the nation since the mass shooting Feb. 14 in Broward County. Bradenton police are taking each threat seriously.
“We are going to remain active with our presence there until we know for sure there are no other threats going on,” Thiers said. “Safety plans are in place.”
Jessica De Leon: 941-745-7049, @JDeLeon1012
This story was originally published February 20, 2018 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Police charge teen with writing note threatening a shooting at Manatee High."